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Saving the Turkeys

10/29/2012

8 Comments

 
What is wrong with these pictures?
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Two things are wrong: 1. No turkeys. 2. Fences have been pushed down. What was the cause? Coyotes.

We lost 8 turkeys last week to coyotes that figured out how to knock down the electrified netting. Up to that point, we hadn't lost a single turkey to a predator. At first, we thought the fences had been knocked down by the turkeys who were in search of better pasture, but after a few days of fence knockdowns  and after finding a mauled (still living, but badly hurt) turkey we realized our mistake. A quick count revealed the damage. From 62 to 54 turkeys, and the hurt turkey unfortunately died the next day from his wounds. Realizing that the coyotes had outsmarted us yet again (and feeling pretty frustrated and depressed) we decided that our only remaining option to keep the turkeys safe was to move them into the barn.
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We moved the turkeys only as a last resort, as we valued having the turkeys outside where they could get fresh air, have more room, and be able to graze on the pasture. Keeping them safe is more important right now. The turkeys are doing fine in the barn, though, as they have lots of areas to roost and are also probably enjoying being out of the cold rain. While it's not ideal, we have to roll with the punches and make the best out of what nature throws at us.

I'm not sure if there is a gold standard solution for protecting turkeys on pasture. A completely enclosed shelter(s) would limit the amount of room the turkeys have to roam, would be more difficult to move, and would be more expensive to build and mamaintain. We could try to deter coyotes with livestock guardian dogs, but there is no guarantee they wouldn't try to attack the turkeys themselves. We almost went this route this year, but decided against it as it was going to be a big investment of money and time for training, plus we'd have to wait at least a year before  they were old enough to guard. I could also wait out in the pasture all night long and shoot the coyotes (I definitely considered it, but in the end decided against).

For right now, the barn solution is the best solution. In the future, we'll have to do some thinking to see how we can improve our husbandry of these tricky birds.
8 Comments
Kelli
11/1/2012 10:59:28 pm

So sorry to hear about your turkeys. We've had fox get to some of ours before - but only ones that had gotten out of the netting. Did you check the voltage on your netting? Perhaps it wasn't hot enough. I have seen a coyote standing face to face with the turkeys at our netting and they have not breached. I am wondering if a hotter fence might help. Just thought I'd try to give a thought to help you out.

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Jeff
11/2/2012 01:10:49 am

I'm not exactly sure, but I do think that the fence may have lost some of its spark along the way, which may have emboldened the coyotes. Once I figured out what was going on, I checked the voltage and fixed any groundouts and still woke up the next morning to find the fence knocked down.

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Kelli
11/2/2012 01:56:18 am

Hmmm- did you have over 4000volts?

Jeff
11/2/2012 03:10:05 am

Yeah, 4-5000 volts. I wish I had been able to see the attack(s) so I could figure out exactly what the coyotes were doing (for instance, the turkeys don't seem to get shocked or at least aren't bothered by it, so if the coyotes are scaring the turkeys into trying to run away, they might knock down the fence themselves).

Jon
11/2/2012 04:31:50 am

If my electronet shows only 4-5000v, I know it's time to knock down some of the weed/grass contact. That might be hot enough for a single-strand, but I like my nets at 7-8000v. I'd bet the coyotes are rushing the fence, having learned that multiple contact points at the lower voltage isn't really a strong enough deterrent.

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Himself
11/4/2012 10:45:22 am

I don't loose any turkeys to predation, so I probably don't have the predation pressure you do. A quirk of or location.

I do use net fence for our turkeys. I find it's OK for light containment, but not a real deterent if they are hungry and there is food on the otherside. I have watched them get shocked and shy away from the fence, but in a mob, the ones behind will litterally push those against right over the fence, laying the fence down and then they are all out.

I find a couple of strands of new zealand wire (smooth 12.5 g, hot as you see fit) hung with 1" plastic netting to be pretty effective for turkeys. Turkeys will hop on the H posts though, and use the horizontals to get over the fence. A hot wire across the horizontal helps.

By and large, the most effective thing is having enough food to keep them busy inside the fence.

I have found sleeping out with the dog to be effective to keep fox and smaller predators at bay, and I have done it for extended periods when needed. It puts a strain on your marriage, though. Effectivness probably depends a lot on the Dog relative to the predator, too.

I also pee along my fence lines regularly.

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Jeremy aka "Copperhead" on Homesteadingtoday.com
11/7/2012 03:47:28 am

I don't think I could raise turkeys and chickens without dogs. We live on 6 acres on a wooded ridge in WV with no visible neighbors. Our chickens free range continually as long as the snow isn't too deep. Our turkeys free range continually except for October/November when they have a tendency to run away with the wild turkeys. A good dog, or better yet, dog pack will keep the coons, possums, and coyotes away. For a while, I was running a Rottweiler (male) and an Australian ShepherdXGolden Retriever (female). For nearly 5 years, I had ZERO losses to predators even though the birds were always free ranging and rarely locked it at night.

It took a little training to convince the Rott that the squawky feather dusters were not playtoys, and he did play with a few to death at first, but once he saw the light, he never touched a chicken or turkey again.

Then the stupid dog bit a lady riding a bike . . . Now I'm trying to train a pair of Basset hounds. Wish me luck!

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CathyLee
11/13/2012 12:41:12 am

I free range my turkeys without any fencing but lock them up at night in a "coop" with roosts. I have never lost a turkey (the size of yours in this post) to predation except for an occassional hen that tries to raise her own outside the coop. I try to keep eggs picked up except to let the hens raise a clutch on their own. It has never worked out well. Most of the time I lose the hen and the poults or eggs. I don't have an LGD but do have a German Shepherd that sleeps inside at night. She goes out early before poultry are ranging. Goes out off and on during the day and through the evening.

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